I'll Be Your Soldier
by erin.oswald.1
Summary: When Erin is attacked off the clock and on the street, the Intelligence family will stop at nothing to catch who did it. [Linstead]
1. Chapter 1

"Erin." She barely heard what Jay was saying as they sit at a table at Molly's after shift. It had been a really tough day. Tough and long and all Erin wanted to do was go home and go to bed. The unit had insisted on her coming with them to Molly's to wind down after the day and she said yes, wanting to be with her boyfriend and their co-worker who didn't even know they were together. But since she got there and the bar started to fill up with it's usual loud Friday night crowd, her anxiety started up. She thought back on the bust.

They were meant to go in on a C.I. tip and arrest and man dealing dirty drugs to teenagers. Already a touchy subject for Erin, she wanted nothing more than to get this man and his bad dope off the streets as soon as possible. As they were getting ready to move in on the man, he made the unit and started firing at them, in the middle of the street. Erin ran after him as he took off and during the small tussle they got into, his gun went off and it hit a young girl walking past the cops. Jay ran over to cuff the dealer and Erin ran over to see if the girl was okay and all she saw was the daughters mother holding her lifeless daughters body in her arms.

She couldn't get the image out of her head. The look her mother had given her. If she hadn't have been so careless. If she would've just waited for the unit to help. If she hadn't had jumped the gun and ran after him, that little girl would still be alive. "Erin." Jay's soft voice caught her attention over the loud noise of people talking. "Yeah?" she said softly. "Are you okay? You haven't talked much tonight, or even touched your drink." he gave her a worried look, knowing how much today had bothered her. She started to nod, but then said, "No. Jay, I think I'm just gonna go home." he gave her a sad smile and made to get up, but she touched his arm. "I'm just gonna walk. You stay here and have fun, alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Erin, you don't have to walk, I'll take you home." he said, reaching for his keys. She shook her head. "Seriously, Jay. It's nice out tonight, I'll just walk. I'm fine, really. I just need some air, maybe that'll help a little bit." He slowly nodded and took his hand out of his pocket. She touched his cheek quickly, making sure no one was looking and bid the unit goodbye.

"You heading out, Lindsay?" Gabby said from behind the bar as she walked towards the door. Erin nodded. "Got a little banged around on today's bust, and I'm gonna take off and get some sleep." Gabby nodded and Erin made her way out the door. As the crisp spring air touched her cheeks, she started to feel better, her heartbeat slowing itself back to normal.

She stood on the corner taking in the fresh air in her lungs and looked around, seeing the sidewalks were empty. Not a person in sight._ I bet they're all inside._ She thought to herself. She was about to start walking towards her apartment when her phone buzzed. She reached in her pocket and took it out.

**Jay:**

**Be careful. Text me when you get home so I know you're safe.**

She smiled at the text. She debated going back inside to be with him, but she knew after the day she had, she needed to be alone for a little while. Finally, she stepped off the curb and made her way across the street. For the first time since they got back from the bust, Erin found herself not thinking of the girl and the tragedy. But of Jay. The way he made sure she was okay, the way he let her cry on him in the car. He cared for her so much and she for him. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but it all hit her like a ton of bricks, so hard she stopped in her tracks. She loved him. She was in love with her partner, Jay Halstead. She was so deeply in love with him that suddenly, keeping their relationship a secret from not only Voight and the unit but the world... It didn't matter anymore. She didn't want to play this stupid game anymore. She wanted to run to him and tell him how much she loves him.

A smile came to her face and she turned her heel and made her way back across the street. And as quickly as the realization of her love for him hit her, she heard a loud noise, a noise she knew much to well. She felt a searing pain in her abdomen, enough to make her stop and grab her stomach. When she felt the wetness of her shirt as she touched the point of pain, she came upon her worst fear.

A second loud noise filled her ears and the same pain hit her shoulder like a rocket and she felt herself falling. Her back hit the pavement and she felt her head bounce off the ground. And she lay on the floor still. She heard a fit of voices, all unrecognizable. Before she was able to see who it was, the world started to spin and it all went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Jay watched Erin leave the bar, a sad look on his face. He waited, looking at the door, selfishly hoping she'd come back in, but she didn't. He fished his phone and sent her a short text, telling her to let him know when she made it home okay. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Antonio had taken Erin's spot next to him at the table. "Hey, how's she doing man?" he asked quietly. Jay gave him a confused look and stuttered out, "Uh, I don't... She didn't really say..." Antonio gave him a small chuckle. "Listen, I know Voight's rule, but I'm not an idiot." Jay laughed. He shook his head, "She's lost man. Today hit her really hard." His voice lowered as he leaned in towards Antonio. "She broke down in the car after we left. She just couldn't take it." Toni gave him a sad look.

"Look Jay. Just be there when she needs you, okay? We all will do our part, but she's gonna need you alright?" Jay nodded and went back to his drink. Antonio clapped his shoulder one last time before getting up to talk to his sister at the bar. Jay kept thinking about her. He could get Erin out of his mind. Every part of him wanted to walk out with her and take her home and be there for her, but she had insisted on leaving alone. He half understood, knowing full well he wanted to be alone after Ben was killed. He was hurting and he just wanted to be alone. It helped, but only for a while, until he yearned for support from his family and his friends.

_She'll come around_, he thought. He sat in silence, looking around the bar at his co-workers laughing with each other. He wanted to walk over to them and have a good time, but it all seemed useless without the one person he wanted to be with more than anyone wasn't there, and was walking alone the lonely sidewalks be herself, just weighing on the tragedy of today's bust. He shook his. She shouldn't be alone. He knew what she would say if he followed her and he knew she'd be a little angry with him not listening to her, but he just had to see her. He HAD to make sure she was gonna be okay and get home safe.

He sat some cash down under his glass and got up. He started to slowly make his way towards the door, trying to make his way through the very full bar. "Jay!" he heard his name and turned. Antonio nodded at him, a smile on his face, silently telling him that he was doing the right thing. Jay nodded back. As Jay waved to the rest of the unit from where he was a loud bang came from outside. Exchanging glances with the unit they all dropped everything they were holding and pushed their way past everyone.

"CPD! Out of the way!" Ruzek yelled, trying to make a hole in front of the door right when another gunshot went off. The crowd in the bar began to panic and Gabby and Otis tried to calm them down. Finally, Jay threw the door open. What he saw could've killed him right there. Erin on the pavement in the middle of the crosswalk, blood covering her shirt. Toni shoved Jay towards her and he started to run. "Erin!" he yelled, kneeling next to her.

Atwater and Ruzek round the corner of the building, gun up, trying to find who did this, but the streets and sidewalks were completely empty as far as the eye could see. "GABBY!" Antonio screamed into the bar and she came running out.

Jay ripped off his jacket and balled it up, setting it on her stomach. He felt the tears ready to leave his eyes but he tried as hard as he could to push them back. He looked down at her still body. He started to shake his head violently. "Come on, Erin. Wake up, please." he said. He turned and screamed to anyone who would listen "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" He continued to put pressure on her wound on her stomach before his eye caught the wound on her shoulder. He cringed. "Who did this to you?"

He grabbed her hand, half wanted to just hold it, half checking for a pulse and let himself let out the breath he was holding when he felt a faint one. "Come on, Erin." He repeated. "You gotta stay with me, babe. You have to." He felt someone kneel down next to him. "Ambulance is on it's way, Lindsay. Just hold on." he heard Toni's voice. Jay suddenly felt the hand he was holding tighten every so slightly. A small smile came to his face while he let a tear escape from his eye.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here."

He saw the blue and red lights light up the said of her face and looked up for the first time since he got to her and saw the ambulance race up, skidding to a stop. He felt two sets of hands grab him and pull him away. His eyes never left her. He watched as Brett and Mills loaded Erin on the stretcher and into the ambulance. "Jay." Brett said, looking at him. He nodded and followed Peter into the back of the ambulance.

"We're right behind you man." Adam said as they ran to their cars. Jay nodded as the doors closed and they started on route to the hospital. He grabbed her hand once more. "She's a fighter." Mills said, hooking her up to the heart monitor. "Shoulder is through and through. The other bullet is stuck in her abdomen." Jay wasn't even listening, he just looked at her. "You have to be okay, Erin. You just have to be. I can't do this without you." he said, not caring who heard. He just needed her to be okay. She had to be.


	3. Chapter 3

Jay didn't even know they had skidded to a stop and were at the hospital until the back opened and Brett and Mills rolled the gurney out of the ambulance and on the ground. Snapping back to reality, Jay jumped out and ran next to the side of Erin as they entered Chicago Med. As Jay looked around, his world slowed down. He heard words coming from Brett and Mills to the doctor and suddenly his hand felt cold and the nurses rolled Erin away from him, her hand slipping out of his as they did. Jay made to go with them, but felt hands on his chest. He walked them roll her through the urgent care doors and heard another voice, a voice he knew very well. He looked at the person talking. "Ryan." Dr. Ryan Halstead stood in front of his brother a concerned look on his face.

Jay looked down, aware for the first time that Erin's blood was on his hands and his shirt. "Jay." His head snapped back up to his brother. "Are you alright?" Jay stayed silent for a minute, looking back down at his hands. Knowing the answer, Ryan asked a second question. "Are you hurt?" Jay simply shook his head. Ryan took his hand off his shoulder and meant to leave, but Jay finally spoke. "She was shot, Ryan. You've gotta help her. I can't lose her." Ryan nodded, fully aware of who was being sent into emergency surgery.

His brother spoke highly of his brunette partner. On how she never let him drive, and how her smile made his cloudy days a little brighter. His brother was in love and he could tell, in the way his voice changed when he asked about her. Ryan knew that making sure this girl was okay, would not only save her life, but his brothers life. Him and his brother were very close, and he wasn't about to let anything bad happen to his life. Not again. Every since Ben died, Jay's heart has been very fragile, and he had admitted to giving his heart to his partner to only his brother. Ryan placed his hand back on Jay's shoulder. "Listen Jay." Jay looked up at him, tears coming to his eyes.

"I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure Erin walks out of here, good as new." Jay gave him a weak smile. "Me too." Jay turned his head and saw Alec Willhite standing next to him. "I heard the call come in and dropped what I was doing. Lindsay's a part of my family. We're gonna make sure she's okay." Just then both doctors were called to duty. Ryan nodded to his brother. "Go get cleaned up. I'll let you know what's going on after I'm finished." Jay watched Alec and Ryan walked away. He glanced once more at his hands, before making his way towards the bathroom.

He washed his hands, watching the water turn to crimson and he was brought back to the street once more. He scrubbed his hands and scrubbed, but he just couldn't get the color of red out of his mind. Finally, he shut the water off, but stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. To anyone else, he looked like a normal man, but all Jay could see was a broken man. His eyes fell to the stain on his shirt. He felt a lump in his throat as he stared at it. He couldn't lose her. He hadn't even told her he loved her yet. They were keeping their relationship a secret from Voight and that weighed so much on his mind when they were at work, that when they were together at each others houses he just wanted to spent the time in silence, enjoying her presence that he didn't have to hide.

He looked back up at his face and only then realized that his had tears streaming down his face. If only eh wouldn't have listened to her and attempted to drive her home. If only the bust earlier had gone differently, she wouldn't have been so torn. The lump in his throat felt like it was getting bigger and he couldn't try to swallow it down anymore. Before he knew it a sob escaped his lips, followed by more tears running down his cheeks. He stood there, his hands gripping the counter top for dear life, sobbing on his own.

Attempting to regain composer he pushed himself off the the counter, only to find he was so emotionally drained, his legs didn't want to work and so he slumped against the wall, lowering himself to the floor. He continued to sob into his knees, feeling as though he would never stop. He barley even heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, but he couldn't even stop his tears or look up. He felt a body sit next to him and felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders and held him.

"It's gonna be alright, man." He heard Antonio's voice say to him. Jay's tears continued to flow and he gripped onto Antonio's shirt as he sat there crying for the woman he loved more than anything on this planet. "She's gonna make it okay? She's Erin. She's the strongest person we know. She's not gonna leave without a fight."

After what felt like hours, Jay was finally out of tears and he slowly lifted his head and Antonio let go of him. They continued to sit in silence on the bathroom floor as their minds raced. "I haven't told her that I love her yet." Jay's voice broke the silence, as he spoke ever so softly. Antonio turned his head to look at him. "She knows." Jay met his eyes. "Every time you guys get into that car together, she knows you love her. Every time you kiss her, hold her, and just be there with her. She knows." Jay simply nodded, not quite believing the words he was hearing, but just trusting that they were indeed true.

"You wanna go sit in the waiting room? I bet the chairs are more comfortable than the floor." Jay let out a small chuckle and Antonio patted his shoulder. They picked themselves off the floor. "I've got an extra shirt in my bag in my car. I'll go get it for you, alright." Jay nodded. They made their way out of the bathroom and into the waiting room. Jay was almost surprised to see how many people were there. Obviously the unit, but also the member of 51 that were in the bar when it happened. As he made his way past everyone to sit, they patted his shoulder, gave him positive words and even Gabby and Brett gave him small hugs.

What he was surprised most at, was the fact that Voight wasn't there. He sat down next to Ruzek, who out a hand on his shoulder. "Did you call Voight?" he asked Adam. Adam nodded. "I figured he'd be here by now." Jay nodded and they all sat there, in silence. Waiting.


	4. Chapter 4

Hank stood looking down at her headstone. Some days he could feel her there with him, protecting him as he was as work. Some days he swore he would see her in the most random places, though he loved every second of it. Some days he didn't feel or see her at all. But he visited her grave at least 4 times a week, sometimes more if it was slow. She'd been gone close to 3 years now and he still to this day couldn't quite believe she was gone until he brought himself to her grave. He's read the name, the words and the date many, many times. The day of her funeral was by far the worst day of his entire life. The day she died wasn't even as painful as the day they finally were forced to say goodbye forever. He took a deep breath, seeing it float up in the cold. "I'm gonna find them." He said down to the stone. "I'm gonna find who did this."

He knelt down on one knee and touched the stone, running his finger over her name. "I need your help. I need to see you, feel you, know you're here with me during this, alright?" He felt tears coming to his eyes, but he pushed them back, refusing to let them fall in front of her grave. He stood and looked down at her name one last time. "Do me a favor? Please, just look after her." He tried harder to push back the tears, but he could feel his eyes giving in. "I can't lose her too."

He bent and kissed his wife's headstone, before making his way to his car and driving to Chicago Med to see his daughter, knowing Camille was smiling down on him, listening to every word he had said to her.

* * *

The waiting room was silent as everyone sat there, waiting for some kind, any kind of news on Erin's condition. Jay sat, his knee bouncing up and down anxiously. A few of the people waiting had fallen asleep in the chairs, refusing to go home to rest until they got some news. He heard the front doors open for the millionth time tonight, and his head shot up as the familiar face of his boss walked into the waiting room. All of the heads turned to him as he stood there. He made eye contact with Jay, who stood. "Anything?" Jay simply shook his head. Hank nodded and sat down in an empty seat and stayed there quietly. Jay wasn't expecting him to say anything on why he took so long, but a little part of him was anxious to know. He pushed that thought aside as he saw his brother walk up to the group. "Ryan." he said, jumping up quickly, followed by the rest of the room.

Ryan looked around nervously, not used to having so many people at once staring at him, wanting to know what he had to say and praying that it would be the slightest bit of good news. He took a deep breath. "Surgery went very well." The entire room seemed to let out the breath they were holding all at once, and immediately the room felt lighter. "There was some internal bleeding in her abdomen due to the second bullet, but we've stopped the bleeding and patched her up. She's stable and expected to make a full recovery."

Jay felt tears coming to his eye. Tears of happiness. He couldn't believe that she was gonna be okay. He hugged his brother tightly. "Thank you man." Ryan chuckled. "It's my job." The brothers laughed together and Ryan let go. He turned his attention to Voight. "You're daughters a strong woman. You should be very proud." Hank gave him a small smile and shook his hand. "Thank you. For helping her." Ryan nodded and exited to room, leaving the very happy room to themselves. After a few minutes of people hugging and shaking hands with the Intelligence Unit, happy Erin was going to be okay, the room was practically empty, leaving only her co-workers.

"She's gonna be alright man." Antonio said, a smile on his face as he gave Jay a hug. "I know man." He glanced at Voight who had sat down, staring off into space. "Listen, you guys can go, if you want but I think I'm gonna stay for a bit, see if I can see her." Toni nodded and followed Ruzek, Al and Atwater out of the hospital. Jay nervously walked over and sat next to Hank.

After an awkward silence, Jay finally spoke. "Do you want me to see if you can go see her?" Voight shook his head. "I don't wanna see her until she's awake. I don't think I'll be able to handle seeing her like that. Not having her usual wit and not having her usual smile." Jay looked over and saw Hank looking down at his hands. "You know she won't let this stop her, or even slow her down. She never has, not when something like this happens. She has this thing about her that wants to show everyone that she's okay, but she never truly heals up like she's supposed to. When something like this would happen when she was younger, she would rest up and be back on her feet in no time, but mentally..." he trailed off, playing with his fingers.

Jay hasn't heard much of anything about Erin's past except what she's had to deal with the past couple of years. Her C.I. file, Charlie, Bunny, Teddy. But that's really it. He knew she's had it hard and that if Voight hasn't come along she's be in real bad shape or even dead by now. Secretly, Jay thanks God for Hank Voight every day. Every day he get's to see her smile, hear her laugh and even kiss her.

"I think she's stronger now though. She's got the unit. She's got 21." Voight looked at Jay for the first time since they'd been alone. "And she has you, Halstead." Jay gave him a confused look. "I'm not stupid Jay, I know what you two are doing behind my back, and I was gonna squash that when you guys came back in, but I see you here. I see that way she looks at you. She's visibly more happy now that she's got you. As much as I hate to admit it, I think you're good for her. I think you're actually the best thing for her." Jay smiled at his Sergeant as they had this short little heart-to-heart.

"Take care of her, Jay." Hank said, holding out his hand. Jay took it and shook it firmly. "Always." Hank gave Jay one of his rare smiles, and proceeded to get up fro his chair. "Go see her. Let me know when she wakes up, I'll be here in no time." Jay nodded and watched him leave. He took a breath, taking in what just happened. He smiled. He couldn't wait to tell Erin what Hank said. He got up from his seat and up to the nurses desk, asking if she was able to have any visitors.

"They've already taken her to her room. It's down the hall, to your left, number 134." The nurses smiled and Jay thanked her. He made his way to her room. He debated knocking on her door, but didn't even know if she was awake. Thinking she most likely wouldn't be, he reached for the door knob and slowly turned it, hoping to make as little sound as possible. He cracked the door and peaked in, seeing her small body laying in the hospital bed, a nasal cannula for oxygen in her nose. He shut the door softly and sat in the empty chair next to the bed.

"Hey baby." He whispered, almost inaudibly. He reached over and took her hand in his, and he stared at her face. She was a bit pale, but she looked good. She looked peaceful. A smile came to his face as he heard the slow and steady beeps of the monitor, confirming that she was okay, and that her beautiful heart was beating. He planned on staying up longer, wanting to be here if she woke up or if she needed anything, but being with her and holding her hand got his own heart beating normally, and the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders, and he soon fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

She didn't know how long she had been out. She didn't know how long she had been surrounded by nothing but blackness, but as she started to feel things around her, she felt a slight weight on her left hand. She started to listen and her hearing slowly but surely came back. She could heard beeping and a distant noise of people. _I'm in the hospital. _She thought. Though she felt like she had been unconscious for hours, she was very, very tired. The only thing keeping her mind awake was wondering what happened. Whys he was here. She didn't remember anything after leaving the bar.

Her eyelids felt heavy and she tried as hard as she could, using most of the little energy she had to open them. Everything was very blurry at first while her eyes adjusted to the room she was in. Turned her head slightly to the right she say that it was light outside, probably mid-morning. She slowly turned her head to left. And she saw him. His head laying in her bed, his hand holding onto hers. She smiled slightly. She lightly squeezed Hank's hand. He stirred slightly, and his head shot up quickly as him mind wrapped around what just touched his hand.

He smiled one of his rare smiles at her. "Hey kiddo." He said, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "Hey." she said, her voice a lot more raspy than normal. Her body ached and she didn't really remember why, but she knew that it wasn't good. He looked at her face and started rubbing her knuckles. "You don't remember what happened. Do you?" she turned her glance from him and out the window of her room spotting a her unit a short distance away talking to one another. Hank followed her gaze. "None of us were leaving until you woke up." he said. She nodded.

She took a deep breath but stopped as a sharp pain went through her stomach, making her arm shot up to touch her ribs. "Easy, kid." Hank said, moving her arm from her wound. She gave him another confused look, but before he spoke, it all came back to her. Her leaving the bar. A loud bang. Then another. Pain. So much pain. She had been shot, not once but twice. And she was still alive. "Did you catch them?" she asked him, knowing full well he knew what she meant. He sighed and shook his head. "We were all way too worried to even do a thorough search, we just wanted to get you here as quickly as possible." Her gaze went out the window once more.

"Do you wanna see everyone?" She nodded, silently. He squeezed her hand before letting go and standing to walk out the door. "Hank." she said, making him stop and turn towards her. When she didn't say anything, he walked over and kissed her head once more. "I'll go get everyone." She watched him walk out the door and she lay her head back down on her pillow, closing her eyes. There was a dull ache going through her entire body and all she wanted to do was get some sleep and go to work. Find the guy who did this, find anyone really, she just didn't wanna be stuck here in this hospital bed, people coming in and out feeling bad for her. That's not who she was. She was tough, she was strong and laying here, listening to the beeps of the monitors, feeling the oxygen in her nose, her arm in a sling, she just felt defenseless. She hated hospitals, and now she was most likely gonna be stuck in one for a couple days, doing nothing but twittling her thumbs and being no help to her unit.

The door opened once more and she opened her eyes and lifted her head to see her unit walk it. At least this was one good thing, right? She couldn't help but smile, though it was a tired one as they came and rubbed her shoulder, kissed her cheek and took her hand. She wished she could just hug them as tight as she could, but she hurt too much. Even when Ruzek made her laugh, a jolt of pain ran through her body, causing Antonio to punch his arm for her in return. Her eyes met Jay's and he smiled at her. She looked over at Voight who was lingering in the doorway, staring into space, in his own little world. Jay glanced at Antonio who nodded, bid Erin goodbye and rushed the unit, including Voight out of the room to talk about where to start with this case, before he realized Jay was still in there.

As the door closed, Jay nearly ran to Erin's side and kissed her softly, his hand on her cheek. Her free hand came up and touched his chest, her ribs only letting her arm go up that far as she kissed him back. She felt something wet hit her cheek and for a second she thought she was crying but when he broke the kiss, she realized it was him. Jay was crying. "Jay." she said, ignoring any type of pain she was feeling to force her hand to touch his face. His hand came up and cupped hers and he rubbed his tears away. He took her hand and kissed it before bringing it down to her side once more and looking at her, his eyes red and puffy.

"You can't do that to me, Erin. Ever again, okay?" she nodded at him. He kissed her hand again, his lips lingering on her knuckles. He rubbed his eyes once more and hung his head. She reached forward and ran her hand through his hair, rubbing his head lovingly. "I should've walked out out." he started. "Jay." Erin said, knowing the guilt he was feeling. "No, Erin. You told me to stay but I should've walked you out. I just should have. Maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe I could've gotten to you sooner." he felt tears coming to is eyes again, but her rubbed his eyes and pushed them back.

"Hey." her voice brought his head back up. She touched his face once more. "None of this is because of you, do you understand me. Do not go blaming yourself for this. I'm here. You're here. I'm gonna be okay, and when I walk out of here. I'm going straight to Voight. And I'm gonna tell him what I should've told him two months ago." Jay looked at her, a hopeful yet confused look on his face. Her thumb rubbed along his cheek. "And I'm gonna tell his to suck it up. Because we are now an exception to his stupid rule." Jay cracked a sad smile, a tear reluctantly escaping his eye. She herself felt he tears coming on, but she didn't dare hold them back because she was ready to tell him. "I'm going tell him that it's our turn to be pardoned." A tear of her own escaped her eye.

"Because I love you, Jay." A smile came to his lips and he let out a chuckle of relief. He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. "I love you, Erin Lindsay." he said and he pulled away. He moved from the chair to the sitting up next to her in her bed and hugged her softly from the side, kissing the top of her head. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as she fell asleep.

* * *

_**Hey, y'all! Sorry this took so long. Long story short I've been working a lot lately, but thanks for reading the other chapters and I hope you like this one! It's a little short, but what's new. lol. Kind of fluffy, but hey, who doesn't like some Linstead fluff now and again. Stoked PD is back on after a 4 week hiatus so hopefully I'll get some more material to work with in this story. Again, sorry this took so long, but here you go! Don't forget to favorite and leave a review! Love you guys! Be nice to people and have a nice day!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Jay was sitting in a chair by the window, looking out into Chicago, completely unaware of the world around him. Only is a world of his own, most likely where everything is okay and life is normal. But they were the Intelligence Unit for the Chicago Police Department. No matter how hard they tried, they would never be normal. But this was their normal. Dodging bullets everyday, car chases, people dying. That was normal to them. What wasn't normal was having one of their own, a member of their team fighting for their life in the hospital. It was almost so depressing to all of them. Heartbreaking. They were all so used to helping people and being the ones people go to for help and being able to save people, help people. But he found it that when one of their own needs help, it's different.

He wasn't there was Jules was shot, and he always wondered if what Erin saw still stayed with her. Her best friend's blood on her hands, holding her hand in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, just talking to her, hoping she was holding on enough to be able to hear what she was saying. To able to hear the words "hold n" and "it's gonna be okay". And then, even after all of that, all hope being lost when she was told that her best friend was dead. He felt tears coming to his eyes, but pushed them back.

He partially knew what it felt like. He knew the feeling of panic when he saw her there, on the ground, bleeding. He can still see the blood that was covering his hands and his clothes. He can still feel her sticky hand in his and the siren of the ambulance they were in when she was going to the hospital. But he doesn't know, at all, what it felt like to be told that his best friend didn't make it. That she was dead. He turned his head slightly and looked at her sleeping form laying on the bed in her hospital room. He listened to the steady beeping of the monitors and watched her chest rise and fall.

She was here. She was alive. And a smile came to his lips as he looked at her. He heard the doorknob rattle slightly as the door opened and he turned his attention to Ruzek and Dawson who walked in quietly as they saw that she was asleep. Jay stood and joined them at the foot of her bed. "How's she doing?" Antonio asked softly, breaking the silence. Jay sighed. "Better. She's been asleep for a while, which is good. The nurse said that she needed as much rest as she possibly could." "Good." It was silent once more as they looked at the usually strong and smiling detective laying in that hospital bed, the cords from the monitors on her chest coming out from the neck of her gown, the sling that held her should in place.

Antonio thought back on the time he got shot at the roll up by Pulpo and she came to see him at least five times a day, just making sure he was okay, and talking to him, not wanting him to be lonely. He loved her like she was his sister. Actually, she was pretty much already his sister. Seeing her on the ground outside of Molly's, his mind went to mush, and he didn't remember what to do to help her, at all. He called for Gabby and she did what she does best, her job, but him... Since then there was a part of him that had felt bad that he didn't do anything. He'd never admit it to anyone, but on the way to the hospital, he actually cried a little bit.

Adam looked over at Jay who's eyes were fixed on the ground. He knew these two cared for each other. He knew that the first day he showed up after being pulled from the academy. But after last night, he wouldn't doubt it if they stopped hiding they were together. He looked over at Erin. She looked so peaceful that he didn't feel so nervous as he did when they first entered the hospital after she had been shot. He had never felt that feeling before and he actually didn't if it would ever go away, but seeing her here, safe and alive. It was gone. He smiled, reaching out and setting his hand lightly on her leg.

As he did, she stirred slightly and them opened her eyes. "Hey kiddo." Antonio said. She smiled. "Hey guys." They moved over to give her small hugs and kisses to the cheek and forehead. "How are you feeling?" Jay asked, not having moved from his stop at the foot of her bed, but his hand was lightly touching her foot. "Really just sore, and tired."She said, slightly annoyed at how tired she was even though she had been asleep most of the day.

"Do you need something for the pain?" Adam asked. She shook her head. "No, it's not quite that bad yet." she chuckled, cause the boys to smile. It got silent once more and Erin's face turned serious. "So..." Jay moved over to stand next to Adam. "Do you have anything on who did this?" she asked. Antonio and Adam exchanged looks. Jay looked from one to the other, wanting to know the answer as well. Antonio cleared his throat and pulled out his notepad. "The only thing we got was someone who lives in an apartment across the street ran to the window after the first gunshot. She claims to have seen the flash of the second gunshot come from a car parked on the street across Molly's, on the left side. I called Gabby and asked if Herrman could give us any security footage they had. They have a a couple camera's inside and one out front. Mouse is at the district now looked through all the footage from before and after you were shot, trying to find any suspicious people lingering around or leaving the scene after the bar cleared out last night."

Erin nodded. She still couldn't really remember if she saw anything. She remembers the gunshots, but anything else she remembers after that is all a blur until she woke up that morning. "Erin." she was brought out of her thoughts by voices. "Voight just called. He thinks Mouse has something." Antonio and Adam bid goodbye to Erin and Jay and left. Erin looked at Jay who started to pace.

"Jay, if you want to go with them you can. I'm fine." Jay just shook his head. "No Erin, I'm gonna stay here with you. Not only do we know who did this, but we don't know why. If this person finds out that you're still hanging on, there's a good shot they could find you here and finish the job or at least try. And I'd rather die before I let that happen. "He said really fast. He stopped pacing as he saw Erin looking at him. "Thank you." she said. He smiled and walked over to her. "Of course." he bent down and gave her a kiss. She kissed his back softly. As they broke apart, the door opened once more as the nurse came in to check on Erin. Jay sat back and let her work, thinking about calling Mouse to see what he found.

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**Thanks for reading! Again, I'm so sorry it took me so long, but what can you do. HAHA. I hope you liked this chapter. _Don't forget to favorite and review!_ Love you guys! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter has more of the guys in it. Thanks for the amazing reviews! Enjoy!**

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"Alright Mouse, what do you got?" Antonio asked once they were back to the district. "Alright, well this is the security footage from inside of Molly's behind the bar, overlooking the crowd and outside the window, all I can see is Erin going down." Hank looked down at his feet as Mouse played the footage, not wanting to see the girl he calls a daughter like that. "We also have this." Hank looked back up to the screen. "This is another camera from inside the bar. You can see out the window a blue car drive up right after Erin and Jay walk into the bar. It stays there the whole time, but you can never see the person or anything inside the car. But, you can see that this is the car the shooter was in. They left about half an hour after everyone had left to the hospital and the bar was closed. So, I checked the camera out front and I got a partial plate number from it leaving the scene. I'm just waiting for the list of blue cars in Chicago that have the first three plate numbers '6G7'." Antonio nodded, writing it all down on his notepad. "I'll head over to the 51 and see if anyone that was there last night saw anything having to do with that blue car.

Antonio left the office with Ruzek. Hank patted Mouse on the shoulder. "When that lost comes in, I want to have it in my hands while the paper is still warm. My and Alvin will check everyone out and get to the bottom of this." Mouse nodded. Voight left his office and Mouse waited until he heard the door close all the way before he took out his phone and called Jay.

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"Alright, thanks Mouse." Jay said outside of Erin's hospital room door. He walked in and saw her staring into space. "Hey." he said, getting her attention. "Thanks." she mumbled and took the tea out of his hands. "The cafeteria only had green tea." She nodded and sipped from the cup slowly. "Everything alright?" he asked, noticing her quietness. She nodded, setting down the cup. "Yeah. It's just I'm sick and tired of sitting here in this bed. I hate hospitals." Jay chuckled. "What's so funny?" she asked him, a small smile coming to her face. "Erin, you've bee here for less than 24 hours and you've been asleep most of it." Erin swatted at him, but he moved out of her reach. "I just hate hospitals, alright?" She said, taking another sip of her tea."They put me in a bad mood."

"I get it." he said, sitting on her bed. "So, Mouse got something. He just called." He watched her expression change to a very serious one. "They got a partial plate and the color of the car from the security videos from Molly's. It was too dark outside to see anyone in the vehicle. He's printing out a list of the cars that match the color and the brand with the partial." Erin nodded. She looked down at her hands. "Hey." Jay said, putting his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. "We're gonna get them." She nodded. "I know."

"Do you remember seeing a blue car, parked on the side of Molly's while you were outside?" Jay asked after quite a while of silence, his hand falling from her shoulder to hold hers. She tried to think as hard as she could. All she really remembered was the noise and pain. That's what she was focused on, not her surroundings. She was a detective, she should've been paying attention, but the pain was so breathtaking, that she just couldn't even think of looking around her. She silently shook her head. Jay sighed. "Alright." He squeezed her hand. She looked up at him. "Do me a favor." she said.

He nodded, looking into her green eyes. "Go find them." she said. He made a confused look at her. "Don't waste your time here with me, I know you wanna b out there helping everyone, so go. I'll be fine." she said. He made a face at her, like he was gonna reply against her idea, but the door opened, stopping him from saying anything. Nadia walked into her hospital room. "Hey." she said, shutting the door behind her. "I was alone at the district and it was boring, so I decided to come here. Keep you company." she said, hugging Jay and she walked by to give Erin a soft hug.

"Great, cause Jay was just leaving." She looked up at him. He tilted his head. "Jay, I'm fine. I promise and besides, Nadia is here. Go." she smiled. He finally gave in and leaned in, kissing her cheek before she left the hospital.

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"I don't remember seeing a blue car parked out there. Of course, I was behind the bar, I wasn't really paying attention. I think Kelly and Matt were sitting by the window, they might've seen something." Gabby said and she walked into the kitchen with Antonio and Adam. "Alright." Adam walked over to the table Matt was sitting in. "How's Lindsay?" Gabby asked her brother. "She was doing alright when we saw her today. She was awake and she looked like the color was coming back to her face. Jay is with her." Gabby gave him a smirk. "Are they, like, together or something. Cause if they're not they are totally into each other. I can tell." she chuckled. Toni smiled. "I don't know, but I'm with you. I've never seen Jay blush so much until Erin catches his staring at her across the bullpen." The siblings laughed.

"I remember seeing a flash as the first shot went off, but I glance out the window for a second before we all started to go outside. All I saw were dark vehicles. Nothing really stood out. Sorry." Casey said to Adam. "It's alright, we just are trying to figure it out." Casey nodded. "I get it. If it was one of us in the firehouse, I'd want you to being doing exactly this. Find this guy." He said, shaking Adam's hand before walking away. Antonio bid his sister farewell and him and Adam walked out into the garage. They walked over to the Squad table where Kelly was sitting, alone.

"Hey Severide." He looked up at them and got to his feet quickly. "How's Erin?" he asked. Adam and Antonio shared a glance. "Better. She's awake and regaining color. She'll make a full recovery in time." Kelly let out a breath he was holding. "That's great." he said. "So, Kelly. We're here to just ask if you saw anything last night. We were told you and Matt were sitting by the window." Kelly nodded. "I remember saying bye to Erin as she was leaving, and the next thing I know I see a flash and I heard a gunshot. I looked out the window and saw a figure in a car before the second flash. That's when the bar went crazy and we all ran outside. I saw Erin, and I kinda froze. I looked back over to the cars but I didn't see anybody in it, or it didn't look like it. I was just worried about Erin. And then Matt said to get in his truck, that we were headed to the hospital." Antonio nodded. "This figure. Was there anything that stood out about them?" Kelly closed his eyes.

"When the second flash went off, I remember seeing hair. Long hair. Lot's of it. It could've been a man, but I'm pretty sure it was a woman." he said. "Look, I should've went over there and checked it out..." he started, but Antonio stopped him. "Severide, it's not your fault. We didn't so a proper search either. We were all just worried. But this," he pointed to his notepad as he shut it. "is more than we started with. Thanks man." Kelly shook the pairs hands and they made their way back to the car. "A woman?" Adam asked as they shut the doors. Antonio sighed. "What woman would want to kill Lindsay? Someone she out away?" he asked. Antonio shrugged and started the car. "I don't care what their reasoning was, when we find her, she's headed back to prison for the rest of her life. We'll make sure of it." And they drove back to the District.

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_**In this story, Nadia is still alive and let's just pretend that she is in the show too, cause I don't wanna be sad anymore. Okay... :(**_

_**Hope you liked it! Don't forget to comment and favorite! Thanks guys!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Erin woke a couple hours later and spotted Nadia reading in the corner, her legs tucked underneath her as she scanned the pages. She smiled at the sight of the small girl, but soon her expression turned to a grimace as she felt pain set in. It had been a while since her last pain pills and she could definitely feel it. Her hand came up and grabbed her abdomen, causing Nadia to look up as she moved so suddenly. "Erin?" she practically threw her book down and hurried to her bedside. Erin shook her head quickly. "I'm fine. Don't worry." but she spoke through gritted teeth and the pain began to be a little too much. Nadia gave her a look. "Erin. Do you need some more meds?" She asked quietly, almost like a whisper. Nadia knew what Erin had gone through as a kid. She had gone through drug abuse as well, more recently than Erin, but she knew the girl in the bed in front of her. She would always let headaches pass, pain pass and even let wounds heal on their own before she would touch any pills. Nadia put her hand on Erin's arm softly.

"Erin. It's okay." she said. She didn't like seeing her mentor in such pain. Erin looked at the girl and saw the hurt in her eyes. Nadia looked to her as strong and as someone who could get through anything. Sure, she wasn't perfect, but she wasn't someone to give up either. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as another strike of pain shot through her abdomen, and reached down quickly and pressed the button continuously. A nurse rushed in quickly. "Everything okay?" she asked and was almost shocked by the state Erin was in. "She's in a lot of pain." Nadia said, taking Erin's hand of the button which she was still pressing. The nurse nodded and quickly got the pain meds, which she quickly put into her intravenous drip.

It took a moment before the pain began to subside, and Erin's muscles began to relax. The nurse put a hand on Erin's shoulder. "Don't let the pain get too bad before you call us. That's not gonna help your recovery, in fact it may make it worse, depending on how badly your muscles in your abdomen tense up." The nurse looked at Nadia, making sure she heard what she had said and walked out. Erin took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. Nadia looked at her shocked, almost angry. "What are you sorry for? Erin, you were just shot. Twice. You're gonna be in pain and you can't seem to think that you'll get through this and recover fully if you don't do what you are supposed to, and that it take the medication they tell you to when you have pain. That's what they're there for." She squeezed Erin's hand, who looked down. "I will always look up to you, Erin. We've been through similar things, but I'm not dumb enough to not take pain meds after I've been shot." Erin chuckled slightly as her friend poked fun at her. She looked up. "Thank you." Her hand came up to cup her cheek for a moment and wrap around the young girls neck, bringing her down into a hug.

She kissed her head and let go as the door opened once more. Hank walked in. "Hey." he said seeing the two sitting on the bed. "Hey Hank." Erin said, giving him a small smile. Nadia patted Erin's leg before standing. "I'm gonna go grab a coffee." She left the room, receiving a quiet 'thank you' from Voight and shut the door. Hank walked over to Erin and glanced up at the monitors before stopping at the foot of her bed. He looked around for a minute before meeting her eyes. "Hank?" she said, letting him know it was okay for him to say what's on his mind. He let out a breath. "How are you feeling?" he asked, hesitantly. Erin didn't answer, she simply tilted her head, giving him a serious look. "Hank." she said more seriously. He looked down defeated, before making his way to the side of her bed, sitting down on it.

"I knew what you were getting into when you took this job. When you told me you wanted to become a cop, I was ecstatic. I couldn't be more proud of you, Erin. But the day you graduated the academy, I dreaded this day. I knew one day it would come, but I was hoping it was when I was already gone, so I wouldn't have to see you the way I did." A single tear came to Erin's eye at the thought her father figure no longer being with her. She placed her hand on top of his, but didn't say a word, letting him finish. "Ever since I took you in, I've been able to make thing better for you. I've been able to fix it, whether it was legal or not. I did it. For you. For my kids. For my family." He looked down and for a minute Erin could've sworn she saw tears in his eyes. "But getting that horrifying call that you'd been shot... I realized that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fix everything. I couldn't make it go away, I couldn't turn back time, I couldn't..." he trailed off. Tears were running down Erin's face as she stoked his hand.

"I can't even find the son of a bitch that did this to you, Erin." she almost looked shocked as a tear ran down his face. "I'm sorry, Erin." he looked at her and she saw tears start to fall down his face. She reached out and used the only strength to wrap her arms around him as she buried his face into her chest, trying not to cause her pain, though she didn't care. She kissed the top of his and stroked it as her father cried on her. She let her tears fall freely, not caring about anything but being with him. He was the only real father she'd ever had and she was his daughter, blood or not. They were a family. And they always will be.

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**Oh my god I suck at updating. Thanks for being patient. Sorry this was short, but there was a lot of Erin and Voight and I wanted to get this part up, but not drag it out too long. I feel like this part needed to be on it's own. Hope you enjoyed! don't forget to favorite and review! :)**


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